UNITED STATES
Saudis to be expelled
The country is to expel at least a dozen Saudi Arabian military students accused of extremist links and child pornography, after an investigation into a shooting rampage by a Saudi officer in Florida, local media reported on Saturday. Last month, Mohammed Alshamrani, who was in the country as part of a Saudi military training program, opened fire in a classroom at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, killing three sailors and wounding eight other people before being shot dead by police. While the dozen or more trainees are not accused of aiding Alshamrani, some were found to have connections to extremist movements or be in possession of child pornography, CNN reported.
SAUDI ARABIA
Abe arrives for Gulf visit
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday arrived in the kingdom to start a Persian Gulf tour during which he hopes to ease tensions after the US killed a top Iranian general. Abe and his delegation were welcomed by senior officials, including Minister of Economy Mohammed al-Tuwaijri, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. During his five-day tour, Abe would also visit the United Arab Emirates and Oman. “To avoid further escalation of the tense situation in the Middle East, [Abe] will exchange opinions with the three countries” he is visiting, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said ahead of the visit. “In each of the countries, we plan to ask for cooperation in ensuring a stable energy supply and the safety of vessels,” he added.
ECUADOR
‘Busy’ tortoise to be freed
Job done, prolific Galapagos giant tortoise Diego is being released back into the wild after being credited by authorities with almost single-handedly saving his species from extinction. The 100-year-old tortoise, who was recruited along with 14 other adults for a captive breeding program, would be returned to his native island of Espanola in March, the Galapagos National Parks service said on Friday. Diego’s contribution to the program on Santa Cruz Island was particularly noteworthy, with park rangers believing him responsible for being the patriarch of at least 40 percent of the 2,000-strong tortoise population.
PUERTO RICO
Earthquake rocks south
A magnitude 5.9 quake shook the US territory on Saturday, causing damage along the southern coast, where recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The US Geological Survey said the 8:54am earthquake hit 13km southeast of Guanica at a depth of 5km. It was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 earthquake less than two minutes later. No injuries or deaths were reported, officials said. Governor Wanda Vazquez estimated damage from Tuesday’s earthquake at US$110 million.
MALTA
New prime minister named
Political newcomer Robert Abela was set to become the country’s new prime minister having been elected leader of the ruling Labor Party following a vote on Saturday. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is stepping down as leader and prime minister amid claims that he protected associates who had links to people allegedly involved in the 2017 murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The election result became known early yesterday, with Abela winning 58 percent of the votes of about 17,500 members of the party.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese